Top-tree for shoes.



i. N. MAYHEW.

TOP TREE FOR SHOES.

APPLICATION man 1AN.2.1918.

Patented Ma.yl4,1918.

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JAMES N. MAYIIEW, 0E MINNEAPOLIs-MINNES'OTA, ASSIGNOE To JAMEs N. MAYHEW COMPANY, INC., 0E MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OE MINNESOTA.

TOP-TREE Eon SHOES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1918.

Application filed January 2, 1918. Serial N o. 209,926.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES N. MAYIIEW, a citizen of the United Stat-es, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of I-Iennepin and State v'of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Top-Trees for Slroes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to top trees forI shoes; and', to this end, it consists ofthe novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

The invention is in the nature of an improvement on my co-pending application of the same' title, S. N. 127,122, filed October 23, 1915,- which is' designed for use in connection with shoes on display in windows or elsewhere, and has for its object to provide means'for holding up or supporting the top of a shoe and its tongue, in order to give the shoe `on ldisplay 'a smooth and neat appearance.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout' the several views.

Referring tothe dra-wings,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective View of a laced Shoe having the invention applied therein;

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the top tree removed from the shoe;

Fig. 8 is a view principally in plan of the shoe top and invention, as shown in F ig. 1;

Fig. e is a side elevation of the top tree with certain of the parts shown in different positions from that shown in Fig. 2;

F ig. 5 Shows a slightly modified form of the top tree in side elevation with some parts broken away; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of the top of a buttoned shoe having the modification, illustrated in Fig. 5, diagrammatically illustrated therein by means of broken lines.

Referring' first to the invention, illustratedv in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, the device comprises a revoluble post 7, a supporting head 8, an equalizing lever 9, an arm 10, and a presser head 11. The post 7 is provided with a conical lower end 12 adapted to engage a last X in a laced shoe Y and affords the pivot on vwhich `said post revolves. In case there is no last in the shoe to which the invention is applied, the pivot 12 will directly engage the insole of the shoe and, in which case, a longer post 7 will be provided. The upper end of the post 7 is squared at 13 to receive a wrench or key, not shown, by which said post may be revolved. As shown, the post 7 is provided with screw-threads 14C throughout its entire length.

The` Supporting head 8 has screw-threaded engagement with the post 7 and is provided with a depending extension'l, having a pair of axially alined trunnions 16. These trunni'ons 16 are slightly offset from thel post 7 and project on opposite sides thereof.

referably, as shown, the supporting head 8, extension 15', and trunnions 16 are all Stamped and formed from a single piece of sheet metal.

The equalizing lever 9 is also, as shown,

preferably pressed from a single Sheet of metal and is in the form of an inverted channel. In the top of the equalizing lever 9, is formed, at the junction of its long and short arms, an aperture 17, through which projects the post 7. A pair of axially alined seats 18 are formed in the sides of the equalizing lever 9, just below the apertures 17, to receive the trunnions 16, which support said lever from the head 8 for swiiwing movement longitudinally of the post On the inner end of the arm 10, is a pair of trunnions 19 mounted in seats, formed in ears 20 on the Short end of the equalizing lever 9, and pivot-ally connecting said arm to the equalizing lever for independent swing ing movement longitudinally of the post 7 rThe outer end of the arm 10 is bifurcated to afford a pair of laterally spaced prongs 21, adapted to receive and hold the folded tongue of the shoe Y. On the outer ends of the prongs 21, is a pair of upwardly and outwardly diverging barbs 22, adapted to enter an opposite pair of eyelets in the top of the shoe Y and thereby support said top at the front of the shoe. The arm 10, trunnions 19, prongs 21 and barbs 22 are also, as shown, preferably stamped and pressed from a single piece of sheet metal.

The presser head 11, like the equalizing lever 9 and arm 10, is pressed from a single piece of sheet metal in channel form and is intermediately pivoted to the outer end of the long arm 0f said lever for swinging movement longitudinally thereof. ByV reference to Fig. 2, it will be noted that the equalizing lever 9, arm 10 and presser head 11 are all pivotally connected for swinging movement in the same plane. The presser head 11 is pivotally connected to the equalizing lever 9 by trunnions 23 integrally formed with said lever and mounted in a pair of axially alined seats 24 formed in the sides of the presser head. By reference to Fig. 4L, it will be noted that the presserl head 11 can be folded onto the upwardly curved outer end portion of the equalizing lever 9. On the lower end of the presser head 11, is a hook-like barb 25 arranged to enter the lining of the shoe, at the back thereof, when said head is pressed longitudinally thereagainst and upward, as shown in Fig. 1.

With the equalizing lever, arm and presser lread all pivotally supported for independent movement in the same plane and With said presser head arranged to be folded onto the equalizing lever, it is possible to use the improved shoe tree in connection with shoes varying from very small to very large sizes. Substantially the eXtreme adjustments of the equalizing lever, arm and presser head are shown in Figs. 2 and 8.

In applying the device to a laced shoe, the post 7 is first seated, either on the last X or insole `of the shoe Z and the presser head 11 seated against the back of the shoe, so that its barb 25 will enter the lining thereof, under an upward pressure on said head. One of the barbs 22 on the arm 10 is inserted in the respective eyelets and the tongue ofthe shoe folded and inserted between the prongs 21. The remaining barb 22 is then inserted in its respective eyelet. With the top of the shoe thus supported on the barbs 22 and 25, the post 7 may be rotated to elevate the head 8, which is held against rotation by the engagement of said bar s with the shoe. Under the elevating movement of the head 8, the top of the shoe is stretched from top to bottom and the longitudinal edges thereof held parallel. At the same time, the tongue of th'e shoe is held by the prongs 21 neatly folded between the longitudinal edges of the top of the shoe.

The elevating movement of the head 8, with the barbs 22 and 25 interlocked with the shoe, causes a spreading movement of the equalizing lever and arm, thus stretching the top of the shoe longitudinally. With the shoe top and tongue thus held, the shoe is given a smooth and neat appearance for display purposes and, at the same time, the device is entirely concealed within the shoe.

The construction shown in the modification, illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, is the same as that shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, with the exception that a second or front presser head 26 is substituted for the prongs 21 and barbs 22, thus adapting the device for use in connection with button shoes, as shown in Fig. 6. In this construction, the arm 10 is designed to pivotally support the presser head 26 in the same manner that the presser head 11 is supported from the equalizing lever 9. The presser head 26 is also provided with a barb 25 for attaching the same to the lining of the shoe at the front thereof- The above described device, while eX- tremely simple and of small cost to manufacture, is easy to apply in working position or remove therefrom and, in actual usage, has

proven highly efficient for the purpose had in view.

What I claim is 1. A top tree for shoes comprising an adjustable supporting head, and an equalizing lever fulcrumed on said head and having nileans for attaching the same to the top of a s oe.

2. A top tree for shoes comprising an adjustable supporting head, and an equalizing lever fulcrumed on said head and having at one end 'a pivoted arm, said arm and the other end of the equalizing lever having nlileans for attaching the sameto the topof a s 0e.

3. vA top tree for shoes comprising an adjustable supporting head, and an equalizing lever fulcrumed on said head and having at one end a pivoted arm, the outer end of said arm being bifurcated, the prongs of the arm and the other end of the equalizing lever having means for attaching the same to the top of a shoe.

4. A top tree for shoes comprising an adjustable supporting head, an equalizing lever fulcrumed on said head, and a presser. head pivoted to one end of the equalizing lever, said presser head and the other end of the equalizing lever having means 4for attaching the same to the top of a shoe.

5. A top tree for shoes comprising an adjustable supporting head, an equalizing lever fulcrumed on said head, a barb-equipped arm pivoted to one end of the equalizing lever, and a barb-equipped presser head pivoted to the` other end of said lever.

6. A top tree for shoes comprising an adjustable supporting head, an equalizing lever fulcrumed on said head, an arm pivoted to one end of the equalizing lever, presser heads pivoted to the arm and the other end of the said lever, and means for attaching the presser heads to the top of a shoe.

7. A top tree for shoes comprising an adjustable supporting head, an equalizing lever fulcrumed on said head, an arm pivoted to one end of the equalizing lever, and presser heads intermediately pivoted to the arm and the other end of said lever, said presser heads having at one of their ends shoe-engaging barbs.

8'. A top tree for shoes comprising a supporting head, and an intermediately pivoted presser head carried by the supporting head and having a shoe-engaging barb.

9. A top tree for shoes comprising a revoluble post, a supporting head having J0 screw-threaded engagement With the post,

and an equalizing lever intermediately fulcrulned on the supporting head and having means for attaching the same to the top of a shoe.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature 15 Copies of this patent may be obtained tor ve cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents- Wahington, D. G. 

